Carly Phillips's Blog: Carly's Web Blogs, page 99

SHOW TIME with Brenda Novak

I'm SO excited! My 7th Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research began May 1st. With 2,000 fabulous items, many of which you can't get anywhere else, it's a blast.

I started this fundraiser in 2005 and have made it an annual event in an attempt to help my fourteen-year-old son (diagnosed at five) and the many, many others who struggle with diabetes. The need is there. Anyone who lives with someone who is diabetic will tell you about the constant fingertip pricks, the shots, the pump insertions, the danger that comes with blood sugars that are too high or too low or swinging wildly from one side to the other. It's almost impossible to avoid the fluctuations, no matter how hard you try. But you rarely hear about the tragic side affects. Diabetes affects every part of the body—the heart, the liver, the kidneys, the skin, the nerves, the eyes, everything. It impacts every facet of life, but thanks to my many, many generous donors (including the Plot Monkeys!)–and shoppers–we're doing what we can to help!

Last year we managed to raise $303,000, which brings us to 1.1 million for a cumulative total. In 2011, we might be able to set another annual record. Judging by the traffic, it's going to be close. Not only does the auction offer fabulous items like Kindles, Nooks and iPads, handmade quilts, trips and stays and autographed books and baskets from Big Name authors, it offers fabulous opportunities for readers and writers. How would you like to have lunch with one of your favorite authors—authors like Barry Eisler, Diana Gabaldon, Steve Berry, Suzanne Brockmann or Karen Rose? Carly has donated a Kindle with an ARC of SERENDIPITY. Cherry Adair has offered up a whole slew of fabulous prizes, including a week's stay in her guesthouse. Susan Wiggs is offering her guesthouse on lovely Bainbridge Island. Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love have their ever popular category of great stuff. Heather Graham has donated a trip to New Orleans, which includes her Writers For New Orleans Conference. Nora Roberts is offering a stay at her inn. Hank Philippi Ryan has donated a whole category, including a visit to your book club. And Anna DeStefano has put up quite a few Coach items. For aspiring writers, we have more agent and editor evaluations and author critiques than ever before. There are too many items to list here, so hop over and check it out .

For those of you who have never participated in an online auction, don't worry–it's easy. This auction runs just like E-Bay. You shop the entire month of May (there are also one-day auctions so be sure to check the schedule), bid on whatever you like and pay for what you win via credit card or Paypal when it's all over, at which point it will be shipped to you (in most cases, the shipping is free). The person who places the highest number of bids over all will be rewarded with a fabulous prize package that includes a brand new laptop, a mystery box of fun surprises, a ticket to FAN 2012 (a reader appreciation weekend I do with #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Christine Feehan every year) and an Advanced Reading Copy of my new book, INSIDE, due out June 28th).

And we have something new this year. Luxury designer Hayden-Harnett (who does a lot of work for Disney) has designed an exclusive Brenda Novak silk scarf featuring a romantic passage from INSIDE. These retail for $120 (they were sold on Gilt.com last week). All the money goes to research. So if you're looking for a unique gift idea that gives back, this is the item! Supplies are limited so get yours soon.

Here's hoping I see you at the auction!

Brenda Novak

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GIVEAWAY!



CARLY HERE – I purchased one of Brenda's awesome Scarves and BOOK on GILT last week – and I'm giving it away today! After torturing you yesterday, today's giveawway is easy! Post for a chance to win.

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Contest – Serendipity ARC!

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents the first in a delightful new series about a quaint upstate New York town where love, fate and fortune are intertwined …

Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege—until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father's betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he'd own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith—the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town's notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity …

Berkley Books

AVAILABLE September 6, 2011

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CONTEST:

I have Advanced Reading Copies in my hot little hands and I'd love to get one into yours. I'd love it if you'd leave a review somewhere after reading it but that's not a requirement! However, I am going to make you answer a question in order to be eligible to win:

What is your favorite Carly Phillips book and why? What stands out about that particular one? If you haven't yet read me, which book of mine would you most like to read? And why? (Serendipity excluded!)



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And now a special preview of the cover for DESTINY 1/12 (Serendipity's sequel!)

Never … iPhone with Carly!?

This is sort of like a never travel with Carly story! I had two phones. A Verizon Blackberry because my kids had BB and they wanted me to have the BBM ability (instant messaging btw BB users) and I really preferred keys to the keyboard screens, and Verizon b/c it's the best cell service in my area. As a special thing for myself I had the AT&T iPhone because … well DUH! it's an iPhone! But since it was AT&T it was unreliable as a phone in my area. Over the last two months, my entire immediate family went to the Verizon iPhone, leaving my lone BB in the dust. Leaving me paying 2 phone bills for no reason now.

So.

Saturday night after dinner, after I Googled store hours and it said Verizon was open till ten PM, the girls and I headed out. We pulled up to the store at 9:20 to watch the lights flicker out as we watched from the car. So we decided to try the other Verizon clear across town. The girls weren't ready to go home anyway and once I decide I want something, I want it now. So we get there and the store looks closed. I'm aggravated. I say, let's go across the street to Petco. We need puppy toys. Drive over there only to discover … you got it. CLOSED. So we pull out and start home, passing Verizon again on the left and I say, LOOK! People out front. My daughter groans and drives back into the parking lot only to discover (as they already told me and we saw the first time) CLOSED!

The next morning, I decide to hit the mall and Apple. I walk in around 11:20, the store is a zoo, one of the Apple guys talks my ear off for twenty minutes even though I know what I want and could have been in and out. We reach the point where he says and what is your account's last four security numbers. I tell him. And he types it in and says – oh this is a business account. I should have asked you that from the beginning. Verizon locks us out of the business end. You have to go to Verizon. Takes me another ten minutes to leave – he's trying to explain other things as I keep saying, I'll come back. I'm crunched for time (I was!). I run clear across the mall to Verizon and say, I want to buy an iPhone. I'm out of breath. I'm annoyed. And they say "well before you start, we're out of the 16 Gig. You have to go to one of our main stores (i.e. the ones I drove all over to last night). NO!!!!!! The HELL you say!

I drive home, pick up my daughter, drive back to same area to meet a friend for lunch. Then daughter and I go to Verizon (first store we were at the night before) – and in 15 minutes, I had my white 16 Gig iPhone in my hand. No more BB with emails that won't come through for ages. No more two accounts. I have my iPhone, my apps, MY LIFE back.

And the first thing I think of when it's all over? I HAVE THURSDAY'S BLOG.



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The winners of Leslie's ARC giveaway from Tuesday are:

Karen C, comment # 17 and Chelsea B., comment # 23.

Congratulations! Please drop Leslie a note at author @ lesliekelly . com (no spaces) with your snail mail addy so she can get your arc's out to you.

Sugar Withdrawal

I decided I was eating too much garbage after and between meals. I am not a cook and so in doing Weight Watchers, I started to rely on the processed foods like their brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Not a hardship! But I knew it wasn't good. So I signed up for 4 days of delivered meals from a place called Five Squares. The food is good and no sugar, no carbs. I figured it'd cleanse my system and I would figure out a better way to eat after that. Today I'm starting day 3. I am in FULL sugar withdrawal and I am miserable. Light headed and tired and cranky. So yes, I forgot to blog until late this morning. Then I fell asleep because I had no energy. And here I am now, explaining why I'm late. It's all I can come up with as a blog.

So I guess what I need to know from you all is – any snack ideas in between meals that aren't so bad for you? Any EASY to make meal ideas or places and I do mean VERY few ingredients easy? So I can figure out my life after tomorrow's last 5 square meals are delivered? Assuming I survive till then?

Sorry!

Blog going up ASAP check back soon!

Kindle – Addiction or Compulsion?

I admit it. I'm a little OCD. Not a lot. Not in the traditional sense. But there are some things that once I start, I MUST keep going. It's how I got the Angry Birds hand injury. Overplaying. It's how I hurt it again when I overdo Words for Friends on the iPhone. And now it's encroached on what should be a harmless hobby. Reading.

I've always been a fast reader. I can finish a book a day (a regular mass market or hardcover book). I'm not a speed reader or anything. I'm also not a detail oriented person so maybe there's some skimming involved. I couldn't tell you colors or what characters are wearing (heck I can rarely do that in my own books!) but characters themselves and plot? That I can read fast and still follow and remember. Once I bought my Kindle, I realized I was doing a lot more reading but in fits and spurts. I'd read a book or two, then put the device away for awhile and go back to it a few weeks later. But instead of buying books that stacked up in a TBR pile, I'd read and finish them. I stopped letting myself buy books until I was ready to read them, so nothing piles up. Plus I can read samples and know if I want to buy the book or not. So this all started as a very good thing. Not to mention that as a writer, reading opens up my world, my horizons, and sparks my imagination. Still a good thing!

For a long time I felt like all I was reading was new books by authors I loved and whose backlists I'd already been through. That's why I felt like I had reading dry spells, I guess. I wasn't finding new authors. But then I started reading paranormal – in one two week period, I read Nalini Singh's entire Psy-Changeling series of 9 books. These were deep and compelling but I still finished them pretty quickly. I expanded to a few other paranormal authors but nothing overwhelming reading-wise.

And then. And then. Next vacation, I discovered new authors. Lauren Dane. Maya Banks. Shelli Stevens. Bella Andre. Authors with series of books I'd never read before. Authors with more than one series of books that I'd never read before. Excited didn't begin to describe it!

In the month of:

February – 13 books

March – 22 books

April – 47 books (some short stories!) - just popped back in to add (before Janelle passes out) there was vacation time involved here – and I'd just finished writing a book and had taken time off!

To say I'm a little concerned is an understatement. BUT I have pretty much been through MOST not ALL of these backlists. I'm getting there. I also have to say I can take the Kindle anywhere which is huge, I can read wherever I am when I'm waiting. In my defense, I'm not giving up other things to read – kids are cared for, work is done, books are turned in. I don't read until/unless I'm out of the house (and couldn't otherwise be writing) or I've done my page count for the day.

And thanks to the reading, I've met new writers who have become friends. That's a good thing, right?

So … addiction or compulsion? And is it really so bad?

Hint – answer unknown until Amazon bill arrives!

Printable Booklists and Other Things …

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY BOY – my beloved Buddy's birthday was on April 23. He would have been 13. I'm still so sad and wanted to share that.

Second, I'm grieving the imminent end of All My Children and One Life to Live courtesy of ABC who could not have disappointed me more. I won't be watching their replacement shows, only General Hospital for as long as it lasts. If you want my take, I was interviewed for Soap Opera Digest and I'm so proud they put me up on their website!

Now on to other things – I need to redo my printable booklist. And in this new climate of eBooks, I'm wondering what information you like to see on an author's printable booklist – I mean I know we use these as a checklist – what books have we read, what do we need to read, what order?

So I'm wondering:

1. do you like graphics (book covers) on them? or just text list?

2. how do you like them organized? date? Series? other? More than one way?

3. are ISBN's important?

4. ebook availability?

5. audio availability?

6. Or just plain old book order?

7. in Word or PDF format?

And any particular author whose booklist you love? Anything else you want me to know about them?

Here's a sample of the one that needs updating (it's 3 pages and not current so I'm only showing you one page as an FYI … I'm thinking that's also an issue – too many pages!

I realize I've been getting quite a few requests lately, which tells me mine is not easy to find, so that's something that needs to be fixed as well. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated! After all, you're my audience!

Sunday Funny and Jungle Madness Winner

The winner of Carly's Friday contest for a $25.00 online gift certificate to Amazon is:

Tracie Travis (Comment #121)

Congratulations! Please contact me at carly phillips @ mac . com with your email address and I will get your gift certificate sent out to you!

SUNDAY FUNNY:

Viagra coffee

An elderly Irish woman visited her physician to ask his advice on reviving her husband's libido.

'What about trying Viagra?' asked the doctor.

'Not a chance', she said. 'He won't even take an aspirin.'

'Not a problem,' replied the doctor. 'Give him an 'Irish Viagra'.

It's when you drop the Viagra tablet into his coffee. He won't even taste it

Give it a try and call me in a week to let me know how things went..'

It wasn't a week later when she called the doctor, who directly inquired as to her progress.

The poor dear exclaimed, 'Oh, faith, bejaysus and begorrah!

T'was horrid! Just terrible, doctor!'

'Really? What happened?' asked the doctor.

'Well, I did as you advised and slipped it in his coffee and the effect was almost immediate.

He jumped straight up, with a twinkle in his eye and with his pants a-bulging fiercely! With one swoop of his arm, he sent me cups and tablecloth flying, ripped me clothes to tatters and took me then and there passionately on the tabletop!

It was a nightmare, I tell you, an absolute nightmare!'

'Why so terrible?' asked the doctor,' Do you mean the sex your husband provided wasn't good?'

'Freakin' Jaysus, 'twas the best sex I've had in 25 years!

But sure as I'm sittin' here, I'll never be able to show me face in Starbucks again.

Carly's Jungle Madness Friday

Today's Jungle Madness is a little different. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about OPERATION AUCTION, which had been set up to raise funds for a member of the romance community whose husband was tragically murdered. Once again, the romance community rallied together to raise funds for her and her children. The Plotmonkeys auctioned off a guest blog here in the jungle, to take place on one of our traffic busy Fridays! And the generous author who won this special day is…

Jenna Bayley-Burke!

So before you enter our usual contest…please read about Jenna and her newest release!

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Thank you so much for having me at Plot Monkeys! It's kind of a fangirl moment, since I've read the blog forever, and now here I am! I was truly touched by the generosity this group showed during Operation Auction, the fundraising efforts for the family of Fatin Soufan, a true friend of the romance community who suffered the tragic loss of her husband. She's been so giving to romance authors through her reviews, support, and website that it touched me to see that bigheartedness returned to her.

Being giving is innate in some people, like the heroine in my latest book, Private Scandal. Megan is a natural born philanthropist who enjoys working with the women's shelters her family's hotel empire started to honor her grandmother. But when her father bankrupts the business and flees the country with her trust fund, Megan finds advice is much easier to give than to take.

Brandon Knight broke Megan's trust and shattered her heart without ever meaning to, and they both have to take a hard look at the weaknesses in their relationship that led to it crumbling around them. Like so many couples in crisis, they have to decide if their foundation is strong enough to rebuild, or if memories are the only things they have worth saving.

Thanks again for having me!

Once their love was under wraps. Now it's burning up the sheets.

Three months ago, Megan Carlton had the world on a string. That was before the man she loved took over her family's hotel business and wiped out a family fortune it had taken generations to build. And before she caught him kissing another woman.

Her only solace: the secrecy of their affair saved the family from public scandal, and kept her embarrassment private. Meanwhile, with a mountain of self-confidence to rebuild, she trades her Manolos and late-night parties for coffee-stained sneakers and early morning barista shifts.

Brandon Knight had everything he ever wanted—then the woman of his dreams disappeared without one word of explanation. When he finds Megan serving coffee, he wonders if the socialite is suffering from amnesia. A hot venti to the chest proves she recognizes him. But she's got the situation—and him—all wrong. All he has to do now is prove it.

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So many books, so little money, so here's a chance to win a $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD so you can order books!

So little time, so simple to enter! Post a quick comment for a chance to win.

Male or Female?

Masseuse!

I love a good massage. I love to relax and let someone ease the aches and pains from my body. I know some people have a tough time relaxing when someone else is touching them, but not me. I have always saved my massages for vacations. It's a treat I give myself when I'm away. But I've had a gift certificate my girls gave me for Mother's Day and after working what felt like 3 weeks straight finishing DESTINY (Serendipity Novel # 2) I decided to use it. Unfortunately, the spa only had a male masseuse available. I've only used females. If there wasn't one available, I would say thank you anyway. I can't say why. I just felt funny. Well on Sunday, pain overruled feeling funny. I booked the male and I have to say … BEST MASSAGE EVER! Now don't take this the wrong way, those of you with dirty minds, but there was just something about those big strong hands, LOL. He didn't dig into muscles and make me jump or squirm. He worked them without me realizing it and in seconds, I was on my way to La La Land, thank you very much! My chiropractor once told me that for people who work at a desk on a computer all day, a monthly massage isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. Well this time I agreed and booked the SAME MALE MASSEUSE for next month! And I'm cancelling the woman I'd booked for an upcoming trip because I didn't reach that level of destress that I did with him!

So, let's share. Have you ever had a massage? Did you enjoy it? And that all important question, male or female?